How to Use House Coaxial TV Cable to Carry Computer Audio

Coaxial cable is perfect for carrying computer audio throughout the house.

Coaxial cable is designed to carry enormous amounts of data. This is how cable companies successfully stuff high-bandwidth Internet and high-definition television on the same wire. Modern PCs often have coaxial digital outputs, tailor-made for a simple, coax-based music-distribution system. All that is needed on the other end are receivers that have coaxial digital inputs. Once connected, the coaxial cable in the home can carry audio throughout the house via installed splitters' bi-directional nature.

Things You'll Need

• Coaxial cable
• F-to-RCA adapters
• High-quality splitter (optional)

Instructions

1. Locate the computer's coaxial digital output, labeled "SPDIF" or "DIG." This will be a single RCA jack -- black or orange in color.

2. Screw the F-to-RCA adapter into the end of the coaxial cable behind the PC. Screw the other end of the coaxial cable into the nearest cable wall jack. Use a splitter if necessary if the jack is in use.

3. Screw an additional section of coaxial cable to the cable jack near the receiver designated to receive the audio signal. Again, if the jack is in use, insert a high-quality splitter to divide the signals.

4. Screw an F-to-RCA adapter to the end of the cable. Insert the RCA-enabled coaxial cable into the coax-digital-enabled receiver. This input is a single RCA jack, orange or black in color, and labeled "DIG" or "COAX."

Tips & Warnings

• If the only output on the back of the PC is optical digital, there are a variety of inexpensive adapters to convert optical to coaxial. Plug the optical into one end, the coax into the other and the AC adapter into the wall.

References

• Top Bits: SPDIF
• Obsessable: Home Audio and Video Connections Guide

Resources

• Broadcast Engineering: High-Bandwidth Coaxial Cable